Yesterday I broke a window trying to frighten out a foot-long lizard (gecko) that was sheltering from the bright morning sunlight between the outer window and the inner mosquito screen.
It was purple with orange spots and the children were very interested in it, whilst the nurses screamed in pretend horror.
Later on Pretty Boy trouble let himself out of Stalag 13 and found a not quite clean paintbrush and immediately daubed weak green streaks all over the newly painted jovial orange cat. Water got most of it off but took a fair bit of orange with it too, which had to be touched up with dabs of vermillion. As soon as he's out of the inner room now he heads straight for the paint pots in the corner, determined to make trouble. (later the same day he managed to load a even larger brush with pink. I was up a ladder the other side of the room and yelled at him. Not used to being yelled he froze in surprize and I was able to race across the floor to divest him of his weapon)
During their lunch break (or rather, whilst the babies are sleeping between noon and two) the nurses like to watch me paint and sometimes help paint a flower or some other detail. They like my fairies, which are called Nan Pha in Thai.
This afternoon a little girl lay under one of the babies beds, watching me paint a fish near the bottom of the wall. She knew the names of the colours but I couldn't get much else out of her. She accepted a sweet but refused a second. Pretty Boy Trouble cramed three into his mouth at once of course but at least he gave me one back.
Next day.
Finally finished the first toddlers room and we are very pleased with the result. This afternoon four volunteers and four nurses accompanied twelve of the young children outside and we painted many sheets of paper with green, yellow, orange and brown to cut out leaves to paste onto the trees painted in the corners of the room. Naturally the children and tables were all covered in paint and wet nappies had to be rushed to the scene to wipe the excess off the wooden surfaces. The children were stripped to knickers, deposited in a large paddling pool and a hosepipe was applied. Even so one little girl managed to emerge with war-paint intact whilst another had an entirely green foot.
I look forward to working on the next room in seven weeks time. This will have an underwater theme (as opposed to jungle and Friendly Animals) so with a bit of luck an octopus or shark might make off with P.B.T. but knowing him he will give then a good run for their money...
(I want to include a mermaid but will probaby have to have her in a bikini top to spare the blushes of the elderly Thai nun who helps look after the younger babies. Sometimes compromise is necessary.)

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